How we make payments

Payments for Council tenants

Housing Benefit is paid weekly, directly to your rent account. Once we have made your first payment we will let you know how much rent is left to pay.

Payments for housing association tenants

We pay your Housing Benefit into your bank account or into the bank account of your Housing Association, every four weeks or monthly. The payment is in arrears – so it comes through after four weeks / one month of rent is due.

Payments for private tenants

We pay your Housing Benefit into your bank account every four weeks or monthly. The payment is in arrears – so it comes through after four weeks / one month of rent is due. You then need to pay your rent to your landlord or set up an automatic payment from your account. 

Private tenants - request payments straight to your landlord 

Sometimes you can request that we pay your Housing Benefit straight to your landlord. We will pay the benefit directly into your landlord’s account if:

• your claim started before 7 April 2008
• you ask us to and complete the forms we need, providing good reason/evidence to support your request
• you are eight weeks or more behind in your rent payments 
• we think it is in your best interests